Packaging process and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A process and apparatus particularly adapted for packaging food stuff in a water-soluble and preferably edible starch film manufactured to certain specified characteristics which for the first time makes it possible to form a water-soluble package sealed with a solvent activator such as water which is applied in a controlled manner to the film to preserve its strength so that tension may be applied to advance the film through a high-speed automatic packaging machine.

we atent Inventors William 112. Young Stamlord, Conn; RobertWolllelsperger, Fairiielrl, Nail; Charles Wallace. Glen l lo eh, NJ.Appl. No. 765,289 Filed Oct. 7, 1968 Patented Aug. 3. 1971 AssigneeAmerican Maize [Products Company PACKAGING PROCESS AND APPARATUS 40Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 531/28, 53/29.53/180. 53/183 Int. Cl 1165b 9/02 Field 01 Search53/28,180,

lleierencm Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,836,291 5/1953 Stroop 53/28 X3,243,308 3/1966 Barger etal. 106/213 3,007,848 11/1961 Stroop 53/283,405,502 10/1968 Badder 53/180X Primary Examiner-Theron E, Condon.Assistant Examiner-E. F. Desmond Attorney-Eyre, Mann 8L Lucas ABSTRACT:A process and apparatus particularly adapted for packaging food stuff ina water-soluble and preferably edible starch film manufactured tocertain specified characteristics which for the first time makes itpossible to form a water-soluble package sealed with a solvent activatorsuch as water which is applied in a controlled manner to the film topreserve its strength so that tension may be applied to advance the filmthrough a high-speed automatic packaging machine.

assmdza PATENTEU AUG 3 l9?! SHEET 1 OF 5 INVENTURS WILLIAM E. YOUNGROBERT WOLFELSPERGER CHARLES WALLACE y 6 fiwwffww ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAUG31971 3,596,428

sum 2 BF 5 l N VEN'] -0R5 WILLIAM E YOUNG ROBERT WOLFELS PERGER CHARLESWAL LACE BY Hum g 061W ATTORNEYS TYLSSGAZB ATENTEHAUB 3|971 SHEET 3 BF 5mfi 8 1mmpunu mmmwlil Wilt I I 1N VEN'IYJRS' WILLIAM E YOUNG ROBERTWOLFELSPERGER CHARLES WALLACE Fig. 5

' BY ym, jaw

ATTORNEYS PATENTEU AUG 3 Ian SHEET 5 OF 5 77 1 m, I L

l Ill/l I1 I] l NVEN '1 0R5 WILLIAM E. YOUNG ROBERT WOLFELS PERGERCHARLES WALLACE BY 55 n fiMW f AT TORNEYS lPA CllfAGllNG PROCESS ANDAlllPAlllA'lllUS This invention relates principally to a method andapparatus for making a flexible package from a water-soluble andpreferably edible starch film.

Water-soluble starch film has been previously suggested as a packagingmaterial but it has not up until now enjoyed any measure of commercialutility. One of the reasons for this is that water-soluble starch filmis not a true thermoplastic material and it therefore cannot be sealedin conventional manner by heat and pressure alone. The water-solublestarch film is perhaps a pseudothermoplastic film in that it is flexibleand can be softened by heat and pressure but it cannot be sealed by heatalone because the heated film when cool becomes brittle and the seal soreadily fractures that it is unsuitable in a commercial package.

This problem of sealing the water-soluble starch film has been overcomein accordance with the present invention by means of a solvent such aswater which so activates and tackifies the surface of the film that aperfectly acceptable commercial seal may be formed by merely pressingthe activated surfaces together to form a cold weld seal in the package.if desired, moderate heat may be employed along with the solventactivator in forming the seal in the package.

The difficulty with a solvent activator is that it dissolves the film orotherwise so destroys the tensile strength that the film cannotwithstand the tension and manipulation to which it is subjected as itmoves through a high-speed automatic packaging machine. This difficultywas successfully overcome by manufacturing the water-soluble starch filmto certain specified physical characteristics and by applying thesolvent activator to the film in such a controlled manner as to maintainthe tensile strength required for advancing the film through thehigh-speed packaging machine.

in accordance with the present invention, the water-soluble starch filmmust have a minimum tensile strength of at least about 500 p.s.i. asmeasured in conventional manner by the American Society of TestingMaterials 1967 Test No. D747- 63. But strength alone is not enough andthe water-soluble starch film must also be flexible and possess thatattribute of body stiffness required for manipulation in high-speedpackaging machines. To this end, the water-soluble starch film must havea minimum stiffness of about 2.5 grams as measured by a Handle-O-Metertest with a sample of starch film 2 mils thick and 4 inches wide pushedinto a one-half centimeter slot in conventional manner. ThisHandle-O-Meter test is described in Federal Specification UUP-556 and asthere described, a sample offilm of selected width is placed on a flatplate over a slot. The film is then pushed down into the slot by a barand the force necessary to push the film into the slot is measured on astrain gauge and reported in grams. A change in width of the sample of agiven starch film employed in the test will change the reading on thestrain gauge but the film will still have a stiffness equivalent to thatof the 4-inch sample referred to hereinabove.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,243,308 describes an extrusion process for preparing awater-soluble starch film with the above physical characteristics. Asdescribed in this patent, the film may be made with a mixture ofa highamylose starch derivative mixed with water. A plasticizer is preferablyadded to the mix to give better control of the flexibility and strengthof the extruded film. By following the teaching of this p it, oneskilled in the art of starch chemistry will have no dillu. ity inmanufacturing a water soluble starch film with the specified physicalproperties required for carrying out the present invention. Whileextruded high amylose water-soluble starch film is a preferred material,a cast water-soluble starch film made in conventional manner to have thespecified physical properties may also be employed in the presentinvention.

The application of solvent activator to the watersoluble film in acontrolled manner to seal the package is important for preserving thetensile strength of the film at the level required to withstand thestress of manipulation in the high speed packer, r tremcly may mic...

tor in order dissolving tile llllii LU i" and a change in room humiditynge the amount of solvent activaptable commercial seal or to avoid pointwhere it is so weak that it will rupture in the ranch Additives such asgums, deittrine or glycerine may r :d m the solvent activator to combatchange n room huuut. y but these additives do not eliminate the need forcontroll A plication of the solvent activator.

in accordance with the present invention, the solvent activator isprefer rlly applied to the film in the form of discrete droplets whichdily give the control required to insure that enough tensile s. engthremains in the film in the activated area to subject the film tohigh-spccd manipulation and tension yet be sure that tho film surfacehas been rendered sufficiently tacky to a eve a high-strength cold weldseal between two or more s ips or folds of film. Preservation of thetensile strength of the ill by controlled deposition of discretedroplets of solvent activator renders the film eminently suitable for ina hlgirspeed packaging operation wherein tension is applied to thesolvent-activated film to move it relative to the packaging machint-irywhile the package is formed, filled and sealed in the machine withoutrupture. The reason why the discrete droplets of solvent activator areof particular advantage is not yet fully understood but the currentlyfavored view is that the deposition of discrete droplets followed by aspreading of the activator on the surface of the film from one dropletto another gives a very precise control of the amount of activatorapplied to the filrn and it tends to restrict objectionable solventction oflhc activator to the isolated spots of the droplets which inturn tends to preserve the tensile strength of the film at the requiredlevel in high'speed packaging operations. The spreading out of thedroplets of solvent activator on the surface of the film may take placeat the time the package is formed or prior thereto. These are presentlyfavored viewpoints but new and different reasons for the above behaviormy later be shown to account for the advantages dcriv '1 th' articularmethod.

Water-soluble stsrcl'l .l'ilni is generally stretched during manufactureor otherwise iven an internal stress orientation in at least onedirection. When this is the case, the amount of solvent activatordeposit d on the water-soluble film may be readily controlled and maynot be necessary to deposit the solvent activator on an: rn the formofdiscrete droplets. If an excess of solvl. .vator is applied to thewater-soluble starch film striations appear on the surface of the filmas a plurality of ridge lines and valleys running in a directiongenerally parallel to the stress orientation. Bubbles may appear asareas of relaxation wh sin the film in the area of activation appears tobe loose when t e film pulled tight. Why this occurs is not fullyunderstood at he present time but it is thought to be a function ofoverrelaxatiou of in the film when too much activator is applied to thefilm. As a result, the oriented watersoluble starch film has a built-inwarning system so that when striations or bubbles appear too muchactivator has been applied. Of course, visual examination of thefinished package will show if enough activator has been applied for asatisfactory seal.

For best results, discrete droplets of activator are deposited on thefilm surface by a roll which has an etched or engraved surface. The rollis rotated through a bath containing the ac tivator solution and thefilm is run against the roll under slight tension. The roll depositsdiscrete droplets of activator on the surface of the film in accordancewith the etch pattern on the roll. The etched roll is a conventionalintaglio roll of the type used in printing opt ations and the amount ofsolvent activator deposited on the watercoluble film is determined bythe screen rating or the roll which is the standard for intaglio rollsthat determine the number and size of the depressions in the roll.

lt has been found that films ranging in thickness from one-halfinil upto about 5 mils, an etched roll having an etch spacing of depressionsper linear inch (150 screen) gave excellentresults, generally regardlessof the thickness of the film. An etched roll with a screen rating fromabout 30 to 230 may also be used depending on the selected film andsolvent activator at hand. When using a roller having 150 depressionsper linear inch to apply water as the solvent activator to an area ofabout 3 square inches out of a total area of about 8 square inches offilm 2 mils thick at about 50 percent relative humidity the weight ofthe film increased about percent and a satisfactory seal was formed.

In general, an adequate seal may be obtained if the solvent activatorincreases the weight of the above-specified section of film from about2.0 percent to about I5 percent. It can be appreciated however that asthe thickness of the film is increased, the amount of solvent activatorapplied to the film may also be increased without objectionable loss infilm strength and as brought out above a change in humidity may alsorequire that a change be made in the amount of solvent activator appliedto the film. A change in the composition or the ingredients used inmaking the starch film will also change the amount of solvent activatorwhich may be deposited on the film and it is therefore virtuallyimpossible to specify the exact amount of solvent activator to use underall circumstances. In general, however, the amount of solvent activatorshould be at least enough to tackify the film surface to make itadhesive and the film should not be completely dissolved in the solventactivator.

It is to be understood that the etch pattern on the surface of theroller and the size of the depressions can be changed to deposit more orless activator as desired in a particular application. The amount ofsolvent activator applied to the film may also be changed by varying thetime of film contact with the roller. This is preferably done bychanging the angle of contact between the film and roller. When the filmis run tangent to the roll surface a line contact is established whichdeposits at minimum amount of solvent activator on the film surface.When the film forms a 90 angle in contact with the roller, the time ofcontact between film and roller increases with a corresponding increasein the amount of solvent activator deposited on the film. This featuremay in some applications eliminate the need to change rollers todifferent ones having a smaller or larger depression in the etch patternin order to change the amount of activator deposited on the film.

In most packaging operations, it is contemplated that the etched rolland supply roll of film will be driven at a constant speed to eliminateany unnecessary application of tension to the film beyond that requiredto advance the film through the packaging machine. After the solventactivator has been applied to the film in the desired pattern forforming the package, the film is advanced through the selectedhigh-speed packaging machine where the package is formed, filled andsealed. One outstanding advantage of the present invention is that thetensile strength of the water-soluble film is maintained at the levelrequired to withstand high-speed manipulation experienced in forming thepackage and the film may be drawn through the machine under tension andfilled without the necessity of special supports to prevent its ruptureunder stress. While the present invention is of particular advantage inconnection with forming packages of water-soluble starchfilm, it will beunderstood that the invention may also be utilized to form packages fromany known water-soluble film which does not include starch as aningredient thereof.

As used in the specification and claims, the term solvent activator isintended to mean any liquid Wilfjh is capable of exerting solvent actionon the water-solubie film to the extent that the surface of the film isat least tacky and capable of cohering to itself or adhering to anotherdissimilar surface. Water is the preferred solvent activator but organicalcohols and other known solvent adhesives may also be used and ifdesired additives such as glycol, dextrine or gums may be added to thesolvent activator.

Referring now to the drawings wherein various preferred embodiments ofthe invention are shown and in which like numerals refer to like parts:

FIG. I is a schematic view of an intermittent packaging machine whereina package is made from two strips of film.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a rotary (nonintermittent) packagingmachine wherein a package is made from two strips of film.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view ofa packaging machine in which the weight ofthe completed package is supported.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a packaging machine wherein the package isformed from one strip of film.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a preferred form of applicator assembly.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the preferred form of applicator assembly.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an etched applicator roll.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of another form of applicator.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of one form of the applicator rolletch pattern.

Referring to FIG. I, there is seen an intermittent packaging machine 10.Two strips offilm II are fed from storage rolls 12' under tension overidler rolls 13 by an applicator indicated generally at 14 in a manner tobe described hereinafter. Idlers 13 change the direction of film travelbetween the storage roll 12 and applicator 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, there is seen an applicator indicatedgenerally at 14 which has a positively driven applicator roll 17 mountedtherein. Applicator roll 17 pulls film from the storage roll 12 in amanner to be hereinafter described. The applicator roll 17 is preferablyof the intaglio type and has an etched surface 32. The positively drivenapplicator roll 17 rotates in trough 1S and picks up solvent activator16, preferably water with or without an additive such as ammio gum,dextrine or glycerine, in a plurality of depressions 32 termed screen,which depressions are preferably below the surface 33 of the roller 17(FIG. 7). In the preferred applicator, there are between 30 and 230depressions to the linear inch although screen is most preferable,generally regardless of film thickness.

The particular pattern of depressions shown on the roller 17 in FIG. 7is used to apply solvent activator to strips of film from which small,square packages are to be made. However, any pattern may be useddepending on particular packaging needs.

As shown in FIG. 8, the particular pattern disclosed in FIG. 7 isrepeated twice on a modified roll and imprints a double pattern on film11 which is preferably a water-soluble starch film. The patternimprinted consists of a pair of longitudinal imprints 34, and a pair ofcross imprints 35 and 36. The applicator roll however may have thepattern repeated any number of times or even have a plurality ofdifferent patterns etched thereon.

The film I1 is drawn from storage roll 12 by positively drivenapplicator roll 17 which deposits discrete droplets of solvent activatoron the surface of the film in accordance with the pattern and screenrating 32 of the applicator roll. As the film is manipulated by thepackaging machine in its passage from the applicator roller 17 to thevarious other parts of the machinery, the droplets tend to spread outand run together either before or during the time the solvent activatedareas of the films are pressed together to form a seal.

The applicator roll 17 is mounted on shaft 21, the shaft being in turnmounted in a pair of bearing blocks 22. The bearing blocks 22 areslidably mounted in machined slots 24 in frames 23. Threaded rods 26 aresecured in each of the two bearing blocks 22 on either side ofapplicator roll 17 and extend through holes in each of two retainerplates 30 for a purpose described hereinafter. The retainer plates 30are rigidly affixed to frames 23. Springs 27 are mounted coaxially onthe threaded rods 26 between the retainer plates 30 and a rotatableknurled nut 28. The knurled nut 28 moves up or down the threaded nut 26depending on which way it is rotated to increase or decrease the lengthof springs 27. If the knurled nut 28 is rotated so as to move itupwardly towards the retainer plates 30, the spring 27 will becompressed. The springs 27 urge the assembly of threaded nut 26, bearingblocks 22 and applicator roll 17 against a doctor blade 31, the forceurging the assembly against the doctor blade being a function of thecompressed length of springs 27 which is a function of the position ofthe knurled nut 28 against which the springs 27 act.

A second pair of knurled nuts 29 are rotatably mounted to the end of thethreaded rods 26 and bear against retainer plates 30. Knurled nuts 29,when rotated, raise and lower the combination of threaded rods 26 andbearing blocks 22 to accommodate varying size applicator rolls 17.Therefore, by rotating the knurled nuts 29 to raise the threaded rods26, a larger size applicator roll 17 can be accommodated. The knurlednut 28 can then be rotated to change the compressed length of springs 27to change the force exerted by the applicator roll 17 on doctor blade31, to any desired level.

In the present application, the level of solvent activator 16 in thetrough is of no importance. All that is necessary is that the etchedsurface 32 of applicator roll 17 be below the surface of solventactivator 16 in trough 15 to assure that the etched surface 32 of theapplicator roll 17 will always be picking up solvent activator in theetched areas. Doctor blade 31 scrapes the surface of the applicator roll17 as the applicator roll rotates to confine solvent activator to onlythe etched areas of the applicator roll 17.

The pressure rolls 19 and 19a (FIG. 5) are mounted on pressure bars 37.Pressure roll 19a has its bearing 38 spring loaded downwardly by spring39 to apply pressure to applicator roll 17. Pressure roll 19, alsomounted to pressure bars 37, is positionally fixed relative to thepressure bars. The pressure bar 37 is pivotally mounted to side frame 23through the shaft of idler roll 1311.

Pressure rolls 19 and 19a apply pressure to the film II as it passesbetween the pressure rolls 19, 19a and applicator roll 17 to keep thefilm in contact with the etched surface of roller 17 and are adjustablewith respect to the applicator roll so that the angle of contact of filmto roller can be varied as described hereinafter.

Mounted to pressure bars 37 at shaft 13a is a bellcrank lever 40. Thebellcrank lever 40 is pivotally mounted to a piston 41 which forms apart of air cylinder assembly 42. When the air cylinder is activated soas to move the piston 41 rightwardly as in FIG. 5, the bellcrank lever40 is pivoted clockwise about shaft 13a carrying pressure bar 37 with itin a clockwise direction to lift pressure rolls 19 and 19a from theapplicator roll 17 to allow the film 11 to move out of contact with theapplicator roll 17. This is of particular advantage when, for anyreason, the packaging operation is stopped because if the now stationaryfilm were allowed to remain in contact with the applicator roll 17 fortoo long, the solvent activator carried therein would probably dissolvethe film.

Piston 41, when moved leftwardly to cause bellcrank lever 40 to rotatein a counterclockwise direction, causes pressure bar 37 to also rotatein a counterclockwise direction about shaft 13a to cause pressure roll19a to ride up against the pressure of spring 39 to press film 11against applicator roll 17. The counterclockwise movement of pressureroll 19 is com tinued to increase the wrap, or angle of contact of film11 to applicator roll 17 until the pressure roll 19 also contactsapplicator roll 17 at which point there can be no further increase inthe angle ofcontact.

Functionally, control over the angle of contact of film to applicatorroll for a given constant speed of rotation of the applicator rollallows an increase or decrease in dwell time, i.e., the amount oftime aparticular section of the film is in contact with the applicator roll.The longer the film is in contact with the applicator roll, the greaterthe amount of solvent activator absorbed by the film surface and viceversa. Therefore, the applicator roll 17 can be used to activate filmhaving different thicknesses without changing to an applicator rollhaving a different screen size to vary the amount of solvent activatordeposited on the film.

I have found it preferable to apply drag to the film storage rolls 12 toprevent the film from-being indiscriminately pulled from the storageroll by the rotating applicator roll 17. To this end, storage roll 12 ismounted on a pair of hubs 43 and 4311. Hub 43a is held in place by apair of thumb nuts 44 mounted to studs 44a. The studs 44a are at theirends opposite the thumb nuts 44 mounted to a brake hub 45. An adjustablebrake disc 46 is urged against shaft 43d and applies drag to the storageroll 12 by applying pressure to brake hub 45. The amount of drag appliedcan be varied by adjustment screw 47 which is mounted on shaft 43d. Theadjustment screw 47 has a threaded portion 48a in brake hub 45. Mountedbetween the head of the adjustment screw 47 and brake disc 46 is aspring 47a which applies force to brake disc 46 when the adjustmentscrew 47 is tightened, thereby increasing the drag force between brakedisc 46 and brake hub 45 to increase the amount ofdrag applied to thestorage roll 12.

The film from the storage roll 12 is guided by side plates 43b and thewhole assembly may be moved leftwardly or rightwardly to center thestorage roll by adjustment nut 43c which is mounted to a nonrotatingshaft 43d on which the whole storage roll assembly is mounted.

Applicator roll 17 is driven from the packaging machine drive (notshown) which also drives the machine seal bars 56 and 58 as describedhereinbelow, through sprocket drive as sembly 49. Interposed betweensprocket drive assembly 49 and applicator roll 17 is a plurality ofgears indicated by the rectangular box 50 which houses a differentialassembly (not shown). Attached to floating shaft 21 is a plurality ofgears 51 which transfer drive motion from the differential assembly 50to the floating shaft 21 which in turn transfers the drive motion toapplicator roll 17. The applicator roll 17 is driven off the machinedrive in order to supply solvent activated film to the packaging machineat a rate consistent with the speed of packaging. Therefore, if thepackaging speed is increased, so is the speed of rotation oftheapplicator roll 17.

The differential assembly provides a running register control wherebyapplicator roll 17 can be rotationally advanced or retarded withoutincreasing its speed of rotation with respect to the packaging machineto bring solvent activated film areas into sealing alignment with themachine seal bars so that the seal bars do not operate on unactivatedfilm areas. This is done during machine operation and does not requirethat the machinery be stopped.

Returning now to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the film 11 passes from thedriven applicator roll 17 to a dancer bar 52. Dancer bar 52 is used tocouple the applicator assembly to intermittent packaging machinery andis not necessary on rotary or any nonintermittent-type machinery. Thedancer bar 52 is mounted to a spring 53 which is in turn mounted to anysta' tionary portion of the machine assembly. The operation of thedancer bar will be hereinafter described.

From the dancer bar, the activated film 11 is fed to a packaging machineindicated generally at 10. The two strips of film 11 are passed in closeproximity to a fill tube 54. Rolls 55 bring the film strips 11 in closeto the fill tube 54. From the rolls 55, the film is fed between a pairof side seal bars 56 which move in the direction indicated by the arrow57. The side seal bars 56 make the longitudinal seals along imprints 34(FIG. 8) by applying pressure to the two strips of film 11 with orwithout heat to cause the two strips of film to weld together.

After the side seals along imprints 34 (FIG. 8) have been made, the filmstrips advance to the next station where a first cross seal alongimprints 36 (FIG. 8) is made by cross seal bars 58. Cross seal bars 58move in toward the film strips 11 as indicated by arrow 59 to applypressure to the film with or without the application of heat to effectthe cross seal along imprints 36.

At this point, fill tube 54 is operated to release a predeterminedamount of material with which the now partially sealed package envelopeis to be filled against the first cross seal along imprints 36. Thecross seal bars 58 then, either conjointly with the filling operation orbefore or after the filling operation, move downwardly as indicated byarrows 60 while still applying pressure to the film to pull the nowpartially completed package envelope 61 under tension to the positionindicated by the dotted outline of cross seal bars 58. At this point,cross seal bars 58 release their pressure and move outwardly away fromthe film and then upwardly to the original position at which point theprocess begins all over again. However, the second cross seal alongimprints (FIG. 8) that is made by the cross seal bars 58 as the closingseal to complete the package 62 also serves as the first cross seal forthe next package. The packages are then advanced under tension out ofthe packaging machine and may be severed from preceding packages byreciprocating knives 69.

Because the packaging machine operates intermittently, the film isintermittently loaded in tension during the packaging operation. This isespecially true because the applicator roll 17 is driven at a constantrate of speed so that as the film advance stops to allow the machine tomake the side seals along imprint 34, applicator roll 17 is stillfeeding film which will tend to form in a loose, looplike pattern. Whenfilm advance is resumed, the film slack would be quickly removed and thefilm shock loaded. In the present invention, as the cross seal bars pullthe package 61 downwardly, the dancer bar is moved in clockwise rotationabout idler 13 to its dotted line position. The clockwise movement ofthe dancer bar 52 extends the spring 53 so that when the cross seal bars58 stop their downward travel, the dancer bar begins to rotate in acounterclockwise direction to take up the slack in the film caused bythe constant film feed rate of the applicator roll 17. The dancer bartherefore keeps constant tension on the film and eliminates undesirableloop formation and shock loading of the film.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a typical rotary packagingprocess. The applicator assembly 14 and storage roll and brake assemblyas described for FIG. 1 are exactly the same for this and subsequentprocesses described herein and for the sake of brevity will not beredescribed.

In this process, film 11 is fed from storage roll 12 past idlers 13 toapplicator assembly 14 where solvent activator is applied to the film aspreviously described. From the applicator 14, the now-activated film 11is run unsupported across idlers 63 under tension past fill tube 54 asdescribed below. The activated film 11 is brought into close proximityto the fill tube 54 and into sealing alignment with each other bysealing rolls 64 which are positively driven. Sealing rolls 64 aredriven at a constant rate of speed that is preferably slightly fasterthan the rate of speed that applicator roll 17 is driven at. Thisdifference in speeds creates a small, controllable amount of tension inthe film and assures that the film will not form a loop between theapplicator roll 17 and the sealing rolls 64.

In a particular package that is formed by two sets of seals to form arectangularly sealed package, the seal members 64 form a continuouslongitudinal side seal by applying pressure with or without the additionof heat to cause the two strips of film to cohere.

From seal members 64, the now partially formed package is run to asecond set of seal members 65. Seal members 65 are, similarly to sealmembers 64, positively rotated in the direction of film travel at aconstant speed equal to or preferably somewhat faster than the speedseal members 64 are being rotated at to keep tension on the film.

Seal members 65 are generally cam shaped so as not to apply pressure tothe film continuously and are formed in the shape of the area to besealed, i.e., pressure is not applied by seal members 65 to the filmwhen an unactivated portion of film is passing through the seal members.Therefore, seal members 65 contact the film intermittently but, becausethey are rotating in the direction of film travel, do not cause anyundue intermittent shock loading of the film other than the shock thatwould be present due to the preferably slightly faster speed of the sealmembers 65. The cross seal bars 65 are also relieved in their centralportions to allow the filled, par tially sealed package envelopes topass unobstructed between the seal bars 65.

Seal members 64 have reduced diameters in their central portions asindicated by the dotted lines whereby the diameter of the seal members64 in their central portions is reduced so the central portion of thefilm strips pass unsealed to seal members 65. The fill tube 54 extendsdownwardly between the activated film strips through the reduced centralportion of the seal member 64.

As seal members 65 rotate, a first cross seal along imprints 35 (FIG. 8)is made against which fill tube 54 releases a predetermined amount ofpackage fill. The filled package envelope is now completely unsupportedand, while in this condition, is sealed again by seal members 65 to forma second cross seal along imprints 35 (FIG. 8) to complete the package.The second cross seal along imprint 35 is also the first cross seal forthe next subsequent package.

An alternate form of seal member is indicated at 66 wherein thoseportions of the seal member not necessary to the sealing operation havebeen removed to form a simple, cross-shaped block. It is contemplatedthat any form of seal member may be used to apply pressure to completethe cross seals, with or without the addition of heat.

Positioned below the seal members 65 is a pair of draw rolls 67. Drawrolls 67 are positively driven and rotate in the direction of packagetravel to pull the completed packages under tension away from the sealmembers 65. The draw rollers are of less diameter at their centralportions as indicated by the dotted line 68 so as not to apply anypressure to the portion of the package containing the fill material.However, it is contemplated that in some applications the machine can beoperated without the use of draw rolls 67 since the seal members 65force the packages downwardly as a natural result of their rotation.

Positioned below the draw rolls 67 is a cutting knife 69 wherein eachhalf thereof reciprocates towards and away from the finished packages tosever them along the cross seal. However, it is contemplated that acutting knife need not be used since in some applications it isdesirable to maintain the integrity of the string of packages.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown another process for makingpackages from water-soluble film. Basically, the applicator 14 is thesame as that described above and for brevity, will not be redescribed.In this process, film 11 is fed under tension from storage roll 12 toapplicator 14 which applies a controlled amount of activator to the filmin a predetermined pattern as described in the previous embodiments. Theactivated film 11 is then fed to endless belt 70 and is directed alongthe surface of the endless belt. Fill roll 54 rotates in fill reservoir54a and releases a predetermined amount of package fill on to the movingfilm. From this point the film carrying the package fill is moved toanother station in which a second strip of film 11', which may or maynot be activated, is brought into sealing alignment with film strip 11.A side seal is then made by rotatable seal member 71 by applyingpressure with or without heat to the two strips of film 11, 11 againstendless belt 70, which is supported by rotatable support 72. Rotatablesupport 72 and seal members 71 rotate continuously and conjointly tomove the partially completed package envelope to another sealingposition on the endless belt where rotatable seal member 73 appliespressure against rotatable support 74 via the endless belt to form thefinal cross seal and complete the package. The rotatable seal members71, 73 are similar in structure and function to the seal members 64 and65 of FIG. 2. However, it is contemplated that seal members 71, 73 maybe composed of two sets of seal members, one to make the side seals andone to make the cross seals similar to those shown in FIG. 1. It isfurther contemplated that the seal member 71 be eliminated and the sealmember 73 apply the side seals as well as the cross seals simply bymaking the edges of seal member 73 circular and of greater diameter thanthe inner portion of the seal memberso that the edges contact the filmto make the side seals as described above and making the inner portionof the seal member 73 in the form shown in the drawing whereby the sideand cross seals may be made by only one seal member. It is alsocontemplated that advance of the completed package out of the machine beaccomplished by a plurality of draw rolls instead ofsolely by the sealmember 73.

FIG. 4 depicts another type of packaging machine wherein the package isto be formed from a single strip of film. This particular processconcerns itself with making an unsupported package scaled on at leastthree sides but it is contemplated that the single strip of film mayalso be used to form a tube therefrom and sealed only axially on thecircumference thereof.

In the process of FIG. 4, film 11 is fed from storage roll 12 to anapplicator indicated generally at 14 and is similar to the process ofthe previously described embodiments and will not be here-describedagain. From the applicator 114, the film is run between a pair ofidlerpins 73, which fold the film in upon itself. From the idler pins 73, thefolded film passes between a pair of positively driven seal bars 74which vertically seal the film. The seal bars 74 also intermittentlypull the film ll under tension from the positively driven applicatorroll I7. To prevent loop formations in the film, idler roll 80 ismovable in the direction of the arrow 80a and performs the function ofthe dancer bar illustrated in FIG. 1. The structure of the dancer barsystem in this embodiment is similar to the FIG. I embodiment and forthe sake of brevity and compactness will not be here redescribed or itsstructure reshown. The vertical seal made by seal bars 74 only extendsto a point slightly below the open end of the partially completedpackage envelope One or more fill tubes 75 is used to fill the partiallysealed package envelope and the neck 76 of the fill tube 75 preferablyextends below the open end of the package envelope to keep the packageenvelope open. The bottom edge ofthe folded film may be sealed if thisis so desired by applying pressure with or without the application ofheat to the film be fore filling the package envelope.

From the seal rolls 74, the folded film advances to sealing station 77which comprises a pair ofintermittent sealing members 78 which appliesthe final seal to the package at 79. The seal members 78 rotate inconjunction with the seal members 74 and are intermittent to allow thefilm advance to stop so that the package envelope can be filled. Sealbars 78 can also be similar in structure and function to seal members 58of FIG. 1. Also, pulling force for moving the final package out of themachine may be provided by separate draw rolls (not shown) in additionto the pulling force on the film occasioned by the seal rolls 78. It isalso contemplated that the process need not be intermittent but can berotary if the seal bars of the embodiment of FIG. 2 are used instead.

All the processes described herein are unsupported packaging operationsin which the film is required to support the weight of a completedpackage or the force of a completed package being moved under tensionaway from the sealing portion of the packaging operation. Anywater-soluble film can be used as long as the film is manufactured tohave a minimum tensile strength of 500 p.s.i. and a maximum 2.5- gramstiffness factor as set forth above and is activated by applyingcontrolled amounts of solvent activator to the film as set forthhereinabove. It is also contemplated that any activator having solventaction on the film can be used, including glues.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes andmodifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention, hereinchosen for the purpose of illustration, which do not constitutedepartures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

l. A process for manufacturing packages made with watersoluble filmhaving a tensile strength of at least about 500 p.s.i. and a stiffnessof at least about 2.5 grams in a machine of the type which includes anapplicator for applying solvent activator to the film which comprisesthe steps of applying tension to such film to advance it through themachine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activator topreselected areas of such film before any part of the package is formed,moving portions of said film into a sealing alignment with at least oneof said portions being a preselected area, pressing said portionstogether to form a seal and a film package envelope open at one endthereof, filling the package through the open end thereof, pressingsecond portions of said film together at least one of which is apreselected area to seal the open end of the package and moving saidfilled package out of the machine.

2. A process as specified in claim 11 which includes the step ofpressing one preselected area against another preselected area to formboth of the said seals in the filled package.

3. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the step ofapplying heat to said preselected areas of said film conjointly with thestep of applying pressure to form said seal.

4. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step ofapplying heat to said preselected areas of said film conjointly with thestep of applying pressure to form said seal.

5. The process specified in claim ll further comprising the step ofapplying a solvent activator consisting of water to said film.

6. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step ofapplying a solvent activator consisting of water to said film.

7. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the step ofapplying a solvent activator consisting of water and an additive to saidfilm.

3. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step ofapplying a solvent activator consisting of water and an additive to saidfilm.

9. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the steps ofapplying said solvent activator to said film in discrete droplets.

10. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the steps ofapplying said solvent activator to said film in discrete droplets.

ill. The process specified in claim 9 further comprising the step ofapplying between 30 and 230 discrete droplets per linear inch to saidpreselected areas of said film.

12. The process specified in claim 10 further comprising the step ofapplying between 30 and 230 discrete droplets per linear inch to saidpreselected areas of said film.

13. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the step ofadvancing the filled package out of the machine such that the filmfollowing the package completely supports the weight of at least onefilled package.

114. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step ofadvancing the filled package out of the machine such that the filmfollowing the package completely supports the weight of at least onefilled package.

15. A process for manufacturing packages made with at least two stripsof water-soluble starch film each having a tensile strength of at leastabout 500 p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 grams in amachine of the type which includes an etched roll for applying water tothe film strips to make it adhesive which comprises the steps of:applying tension to a first strip of such film, applying between 30 and230 discrete droplets of water per linear inch to preselected areas ofat least one of said film strips to activate and tackify the surfacethereof before any part of the package is formed, moving said first anda second strip of film into sealing alignment with each other by thecontinued application of tension to the said film strips, pressing aportion of said first and second strips of film together to form alongitudinal seal between the two strips of film along a line atopposite ends thereof, pressing said two strips of film together to makea first cross seal across the film strips between said longitudinalseals to form a package envelope open at one end thereof, filling thepackage envelope by depositing material between said longitudinal sealsand against said first cross seal, moving said package envelope undertension to another station and pressing said two strips of film togetherto make a second cross seal and form a final package and moving saidfinal package out of said machine by the application of tension to saidfilm strips.

16. A process as in claim 15 wherein discrete droplets per linear inchare deposited on said film strip.

17. A process as in claim 16 wherein the l50 discrete droplets perlinear inch are deposited on both strips of film.

18. A process as in claim 17 further comprising the step of stopping thefilm advance during the time that pressure is applied to the strips offilm to form a seal.

19. A process for manufacturing packages made with at least two stripsof water-soluble starch film having a tensile strength of at least about500 p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 grams in a machine ofthe type which includes an etched roll for applying water to the film tomake it adhesive which comprises the steps of: applying between 30 and230 discrete droplets of water per linear inch to at least one of saidfilm strips to activate and tackify the surface thereof before any partof the package is formed, moving said first and a second strip of filminto sealing alignment with each other, pressing a portion of said firstand second strips of film together to form the package for materialcontained therein.

20. A process for manufacturing packages made with at least two stripsof water-soluble film having a tensile strength of at least about b 500p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 grams which includes anapplicator for applying water to the film which comprises the steps of:applying tension to a first strip of such film applying solventactivator to preselected areas of at least one of said film strips toactivate and tackify the surface thereof before any part of the packageis formed, depositing material on one of said strips of film, bringingsaid strips of film into sealing alignment and applying pressure to saidstrips of film to seal said package and moving said package out of saidmachine under tension.

21. An apparatus for manufacturing packages made with water-soluble filmcomprising means for applying tension solely to the water-soluble filmto advance it through the apparatus, means for applying a controlledamount of activator in the form of discrete droplets to preselectedareas of said film before any part of the package is formed, sufficientto activate the surface of the film but insufficient to reduce thestrength of the film below that needed to withstand the tension forcesapplied to the film, means for moving portions of said film into asealing alignment with at least one of said portions being a preselectedarea, means for pressing said portions together to form a seal and afilm package envelope open at one end thereof, means for filling saidpackage envelope through the open end thereof, means for pressing secondportions of said film together at least one of which is a preselectedarea to seal the open end of the package envelope and means for applyingtension to move the final package out of the apparatus.

22. An apparatus as specified in claim 28 wherein said means forapplying a controlled amount of activator to preselected areas of saidfilm comprises an etched roll having a screen rating of between 30 and230, said roller being positively driven at a speed consistent with thespeed of applying pressure to seal said packages, said etched roll beingrotatable through a solvent activator bath whereby solvent activator ispicked up in the etched area of said roll for deposition on said film,means for keeping the film in contact with said etched roll and meansfor removing excess solvent activator from the surface of said etchedroll to confine the solvent activator only to the etched areas ofsaidroll.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein said screen rating is 150.

24. An apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising means for adjustingthe angle of contact of said film to said etched roll to vary the timethe film is in contact with said roll.

25. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 further comprising means forapplying heat to said film conjointly with said pressure to form a seal.

26. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 wherein said solvent activatoris water.

27. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 further comprising means forapplying solvent activator to preselected areas of each of two strips offilm.

28. An apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising a dancer barinterposed between said etched roll and said means for pressing aportion of said preselected areas and film together to keep tension onsaid film and to prevent said film from forming into loops. v

29. An apparatus as specified in claim 27 wherein said means forapplying solvent activator to preselected areas of each of two strips offilm comprises two etched rolls, each of said etched rolls beingrotatable through a solvent activator bath whereby solvent activator ispicked up in the etched area of each of said roll and deposited on saidtwo film strips and means for pressing the preselected areas of eachfilm strip together to form a seal.

30. An apparatus for manufacturing packages made with water-soluble filmhaving a tensile strength of at least about 500 p.s.i. and a stiffnessof at least about 2.5 grams comprising means for applying tension to thefilm to advance it through the apparatus, at least two etched rollsrotatable in a solvent activator bath, said etched roll having a screen,rating of between 30 and 230 for applying solvent activator to at leasttwo strips of film, said applicator pulling film from a storage roll,said etched rolls applying a controlled amount of solvent activator tosaid strips of film, means for bringing said preselected areas intosealing alignment with each other, a first set of sealing bars to applypressure to seal a first portion of said film strips, at least onedancer bar interposed between said first set of sealing bars and saidetched roll to take up slack in said film strips and to keep said filmstrips under tension, a second set of seal bars for pressing said filmstrips together to form a package envelope open at one end thereof,means for filling said package envelope through the open end thereof,said second set of seal bars pressing said strips of film together asecond time to complete said package and means for moving said packageout of said machine under tension.

31. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in amachine of the type which includes an applicator for applying solventactivator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps ofpulling at least a first and a second strip of such film through themachine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activator in the formof discrete droplets to preselected areas of at least one of said filmstrips to activate the surface and make it adhesive, moving said stripsof film into sealing alignment with each other, pressing together aportion of at least two of said film strips including part of thepreselected area to form a seal between the two strips of film and apackaging envelope with an opening therein, filling the package throughsuch opening, pressing together a second portion of the same two filmstrips including part of the preselected area to seal the opening in thepackage and then removing said package from the machine.

32. The process specified in claim 31 which includes the step ofapplying between about 30 to 230 discrete droplets of solvent activatorto preselected areas of at least one of said film strips.

33. The process specified in claim 31 which includes the step ofapplying heat to the film when it is pressed together to form a seal.

34. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in amachine of the type which includes an applicator for applying solventactivator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps ofpulling at least a first and a second strip of such film through themachine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activator whichconsists of water and an additive to preselected areas of at least oneof said film strips to tackify the surface and make it adhesive, movingsaid strips of film into sealing alignment with each other, pressingtogether a portion of at least two of said film strips including part ofthe preselected area to form a seal between the two strips of film and apackaging envelope with an opening therein, filling the package throughsuch opening, pressing together a second portion of the same two filmstrips including part of the preselected area to seal the opening in thepackage and then removing said package from the machine. 1

35. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in amachine of the type which includes an applicator for 3 applying solventactivator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps ofpulling at least a first and a second strip of such film through themachine, applying a controlled amount of solvent in the form of discretedroplets in an area along the length at each side of at least one ofsaid film strips and periodically applying a controlled amount ofsolvent activator in the form of discrete droplets in an area across thewidth of at least one of said film strips to tacltify the surface andmake it adhesive, moving said strips of film into sealing alignment andthen pressing a portion of the adhesive area at both sides along thelength ofsaid strip against a second one of said strips without pressingthe strips together across the entire width thereof to form a firstlongitudinal seal at both sides of said strips and thereafter pressingone of said adhesive areas positioned across said strip against thesecond one of said strips to form a second seal and a packaging envelopewith an opening between said longitudinal seals, filling the packageenvelope through such opening, and then pressing a second one of saidadhesive areas across said strip against the second one of said stripsto seal the opening in the filled package and to form a second packagingenvelope.

36. An apparatus for manufacturing packages made with water-soluble filmwhich comprises, means for pulling at least one strip of such film toadvance it through the apparatus, means for applying a controlled amountof solvent activator in the form of discrete droplets to the film in anarea along the length of at least one side of said film and for applyinga con trolled amount of solvent activator in the form of discretedroplets periodically in an area across the width of at least one filmstrip to activate the surface and make it adhesive, means for movingsaid adhesive areas into sealing alignment with a portion of unactivatedfilm, means for pressing the adhesive area along the length of at leastone side of the film against the unactivated film to establish a firstlongitudinal seal without pressing the film together across the entirewidth thereof, means for thereafter pressing one of said adhesive areasacross the width of the film against unactivated film to establish asecond seal which forms a packaging envelope with an opening across aportion of the width at one end thereof and which at the same timecompletely encloses the preceding packaging envelope and means forfilling the packaging envelope through said opening.

37. The apparatus specified in claim 36 which includes means for pullingat least two strips of film to advance them through the machine and inwhich said means for applying sol vent activator is adapted to applysolvent activator to at least one strip of film in an area along thelength at both sides of at least one film strip and in which the meansfor establishing the first longitudinal sea] is adapted to press theadhesive area along both sides of the film against inactive film toestablish a longitudinal seal at both sides of the packaging envelope.

38. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in amachine of the type which includes an applicator for applying solventactivator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps of:applying tension to a first strip of such film and simultaneouslyapplying tension to a second strip ofsuch film to move said film stripsthrough the machine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activatorconsisting of water and an additive to preselected areas of at least oneof said film strips to activate and tackify the surface thereof beforeany part of the package is formed but insufficient to reduce thestrength of the film below that needed to withstand the said tensionforces applied to the film, moving said first and second strips of filminto sealing alignment with each other by the continued application oftension solely to the said film strips, pressing a portion of said firstand second strips of film together to form a seal between the two stripsof film and a packaging envelope open at one end thereof, filling thepackage through the open end thereof, pressing a second portion of saidfilm strips together to seal the open end of the package, and movingsaid package out of said machine by the continued application oftensionsolely to said film strips.

. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in amachine of the type which includes an applicator for applying solventactivator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps of:applying tension to a first strip of such film and simultaneouslyapplying tension to a second strip of such film to move said film stripsthrough the machine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activatorin the form of discrete droplets to preselected areas of at least one ofsaid film strips to activate and tackify the surface thereof before anypart of the package is formed but insufficient to reduce the strength ofthe film below that needed to withstand the said tension forces appliedto the film, moving said first and second strips of film into sealingalignment with each other by the continued application of tension solelyto the said film strips, pressing a portion of said first and secondstrips of film together to form a seal between the two strips of filmand a packaging envelope open at one end thereof, filling the packagethrough the open end thereof, pressing a second portion of said filmstrips together to seal the open end of the package, and moving saidpackage out of said machine by the continued application of tensionsolely to said film strips.

40. The process specified in claim 39 further comprising the step ofapplying between 30 and 230 discrete droplets per linear inch to saidpreselected areas of said film.

1. A process for manufacturing packages made with water-soluble filmhaving a tensile strength of at least about 500 p.s.i. and a stiffnessof at least about 2.5 grams in a machine of the type which includes anapplicator for applying solvent activator to the film which comprisesthe steps of applying tension to such film to advance it through themachine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activator topreselected areas of such film before any part of the package is formed,moving portions of said film into a sealing alignment with at least oneof said portions being a preselected area, pressing said portionstogether to form a seal and a film package envelope open at one endthereof, filling the package through the open end thereof, pressingsecond portions of said film together at least one of which is apreselected area to seal the open end of the package and moving saidfilled package out of the machine.
 2. A process as specified in claim 1which includes the step of pressing one preselected area against anotherpreselected area to form both of the said seals in the filled package.3. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the step ofapplying heat to said preselected areas of said film conjointly with thestep of applying pressure to form said seal.
 4. The process specified inclaim 2 further comprising the step of applying heat to said preselectedareas of said film conjointly with the step of applying pressure to formsaid seal.
 5. The process specified in claim 1 further comprising thestep of applying a solvent activator consisting of water to said film.6. The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step ofapplying a solvent activator consisting of water to said film.
 7. Theprocess specified in claim 1 further comprising the step of applying asolvent activator consisting of water and an additive to said film. 8.The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the step of applyinga solvent activator consisting of water and an additive to said film. 9.The process specified in claim 1 further comprising the steps ofapplying said solvent activator to said film in discrete droplets. 10.The process specified in claim 2 further comprising the steps ofapplying said solvent activator to said film in discrete droplets. 11.The process specified in claim 9 further comprising the step of applyingbetween 30 and 230 discrete droplets per linear inch to said preselectedareas of said film.
 12. The process specified in claim 10 furthercomprising the step of applying between 30 and 230 discrete droplets perlinear inch to said preselected areas of said film.
 13. The processspecified in claim 1 further comprising the step of advancing the filledpackage out of the machine such that the film following the packagecompletely supports the weight of at least one filled package.
 14. Theprocess specified in claim 2 further comprising the step of advancingthe filled package out of the machine such that the film following thepackage completely supports the weight of at least one filled package.15. A process for manufacturing packages made with at least two stripsof water-soluble starch film each having a tensile strength of at leastabout 500 p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 grams in amachine of the type which includes an etched roll for applying water tothe film strips to make it adhesive which comprises the steps of:applying tension to a first strip of such film, applying between 30 and230 discrete droplets of water per linear inch to preselected areas ofat least one of said film strips to activate and tackify the surfacethereof before any part of the package is formed, moving said first anda second strip of film into sealing alignment with each other by thecontinued application of tension to the said film strips, pressing aportion of said first and second strips of film together to form alongitudinal seal between the two strips of film along a line atopposite ends thereof, pressing said two strips of film together to makea first cross seal across the film strips between said longitudinalseals to form a package envelope open at one end thereof, filling thepackage envelope by depositing material between said longitudinal sealsand against said first cross seal, moving said package envelope undertension to another station and pressing said two strips of film togetherto make a second cross seal and form a final package and moving saidfinal package out of said machinE by the application of tension to saidfilm strips.
 16. A process as in claim 15 wherein 150 discrete dropletsper linear inch are deposited on said film strip.
 17. A process as inclaim 16 wherein the 150 discrete droplets per linear inch are depositedon both strips of film.
 18. A process as in claim 17 further comprisingthe step of stopping the film advance during the time that pressure isapplied to the strips of film to form a seal.
 19. A process formanufacturing packages made with at least two strips of water-solublestarch film having a tensile strength of at least about 500 p.s.i. and astiffness of at least about 2.5 grams in a machine of the type whichincludes an etched roll for applying water to the film to make itadhesive which comprises the steps of: applying between 30 and 230discrete droplets of water per linear inch to at least one of said filmstrips to activate and tackify the surface thereof before any part ofthe package is formed, moving said first and a second strip of film intosealing alignment with each other, pressing a portion of said first andsecond strips of film together to form the package for materialcontained therein.
 20. A process for manufacturing packages made with atleast two strips of water-soluble film having a tensile strength of atleast about b 500 p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 gramswhich includes an applicator for applying water to the film whichcomprises the steps of: applying tension to a first strip of such filmapplying solvent activator to preselected areas of at least one of saidfilm strips to activate and tackify the surface thereof before any partof the package is formed, depositing material on one of said strips offilm, bringing said strips of film into sealing alignment and applyingpressure to said strips of film to seal said package and moving saidpackage out of said machine under tension.
 21. An apparatus formanufacturing packages made with water-soluble film comprising means forapplying tension solely to the water-soluble film to advance it throughthe apparatus, means for applying a controlled amount of activator inthe form of discrete droplets to preselected areas of said film beforeany part of the package is formed, sufficient to activate the surface ofthe film but insufficient to reduce the strength of the film below thatneeded to withstand the tension forces applied to the film, means formoving portions of said film into a sealing alignment with at least oneof said portions being a preselected area, means for pressing saidportions together to form a seal and a film package envelope open at oneend thereof, means for filling said package envelope through the openend thereof, means for pressing second portions of said film together atleast one of which is a preselected area to seal the open end of thepackage envelope and means for applying tension to move the finalpackage out of the apparatus.
 22. An apparatus as specified in claim 28wherein said means for applying a controlled amount of activator topreselected areas of said film comprises an etched roll having a screenrating of between 30 and 230, said roller being positively driven at aspeed consistent with the speed of applying pressure to seal saidpackages, said etched roll being rotatable through a solvent activatorbath whereby solvent activator is picked up in the etched area of saidroll for deposition on said film, means for keeping the film in contactwith said etched roll and means for removing excess solvent activatorfrom the surface of said etched roll to confine the solvent activatoronly to the etched areas of said roll.
 23. An apparatus as in claim 22wherein said screen rating is
 150. 24. An apparatus as in claim 22further comprising means for adjusting the angle of contact of said filmto said etched roll to vary the time the film is in contact with saidroll.
 25. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 further comprIsing meansfor applying heat to said film conjointly with said pressure to form aseal.
 26. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 wherein said solventactivator is water.
 27. An apparatus as specified in claim 21 furthercomprising means for applying solvent activator to preselected areas ofeach of two strips of film.
 28. An apparatus as in claim 22 furthercomprising a dancer bar interposed between said etched roll and saidmeans for pressing a portion of said preselected areas and film togetherto keep tension on said film and to prevent said film from forming intoloops.
 29. An apparatus as specified in claim 27 wherein said means forapplying solvent activator to preselected areas of each of two strips offilm comprises two etched rolls, each of said etched rolls beingrotatable through a solvent activator bath whereby solvent activator ispicked up in the etched area of each of said roll and deposited on saidtwo film strips and means for pressing the preselected areas of eachfilm strip together to form a seal.
 30. An apparatus for manufacturingpackages made with water-soluble film having a tensile strength of atleast about 500 p.s.i. and a stiffness of at least about 2.5 gramscomprising means for applying tension to the film to advance it throughthe apparatus, at least two etched rolls rotatable in a solventactivator bath, said etched roll having a screen rating of between 30and 230 for applying solvent activator to at least two strips of film,said applicator pulling film from a storage roll, said etched rollsapplying a controlled amount of solvent activator to said strips offilm, means for bringing said preselected areas into sealing alignmentwith each other, a first set of sealing bars to apply pressure to seal afirst portion of said film strips, at least one dancer bar interposedbetween said first set of sealing bars and said etched roll to take upslack in said film strips and to keep said film strips under tension, asecond set of seal bars for pressing said film strips together to form apackage envelope open at one end thereof, means for filling said packageenvelope through the open end thereof, said second set of seal barspressing said strips of film together a second time to complete saidpackage and means for moving said package out of said machine undertension.
 31. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble filmin a machine of the type which includes an applicator for applyingsolvent activator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises thesteps of pulling at least a first and a second strip of such filmthrough the machine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activatorin the form of discrete droplets to preselected areas of at least one ofsaid film strips to activate the surface and make it adhesive, movingsaid strips of film into sealing alignment with each other, pressingtogether a portion of at least two of said film strips including part ofthe preselected area to form a seal between the two strips of film and apackaging envelope with an opening therein, filling the package throughsuch opening, pressing together a second portion of the same two filmstrips including part of the preselected area to seal the opening in thepackage and then removing said package from the machine.
 32. The processspecified in claim 31 which includes the step of applying between about30 to 230 discrete droplets of solvent activator to preselected areas ofat least one of said film strips.
 33. The process specified in claim 31which includes the step of applying heat to the film when it is pressedtogether to form a seal.
 34. A process for manufacturing packages ofwater-soluble film in a machine of the type which includes an applicatorfor applying solvent activator to the film to make it adhesive whichcomprises the steps of pulling at least a first and a second strip ofsuch film through the machine, applying a controlled amount of solventactivator which consists Of water and an additive to preselected areasof at least one of said film strips to tackify the surface and make itadhesive, moving said strips of film into sealing alignment with eachother, pressing together a portion of at least two of said film stripsincluding part of the preselected area to form a seal between the twostrips of film and a packaging envelope with an opening therein, fillingthe package through such opening, pressing together a second portion ofthe same two film strips including part of the preselected area to sealthe opening in the package and then removing said package from themachine.
 35. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble filmin a machine of the type which includes an applicator for applyingsolvent activator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises thesteps of pulling at least a first and a second strip of such filmthrough the machine, applying a controlled amount of solvent in the formof discrete droplets in an area along the length at each side of atleast one of said film strips and periodically applying a controlledamount of solvent activator in the form of discrete droplets in an areaacross the width of at least one of said film strips to tackify thesurface and make it adhesive, moving said strips of film into sealingalignment and then pressing a portion of the adhesive area at both sidesalong the length of said strip against a second one of said stripswithout pressing the strips together across the entire width thereof toform a first longitudinal seal at both sides of said strips andthereafter pressing one of said adhesive areas positioned across saidstrip against the second one of said strips to form a second seal and apackaging envelope with an opening between said longitudinal seals,filling the package envelope through such opening, and then pressing asecond one of said adhesive areas across said strip against the secondone of said strips to seal the opening in the filled package and to forma second packaging envelope.
 36. An apparatus for manufacturing packagesmade with water-soluble film which comprises, means for pulling at leastone strip of such film to advance it through the apparatus, means forapplying a controlled amount of solvent activator in the form ofdiscrete droplets to the film in an area along the length of at leastone side of said film and for applying a controlled amount of solventactivator in the form of discrete droplets periodically in an areaacross the width of at least one film strip to activate the surface andmake it adhesive, means for moving said adhesive areas into sealingalignment with a portion of unactivated film, means for pressing theadhesive area along the length of at least one side of the film againstthe unactivated film to establish a first longitudinal seal withoutpressing the film together across the entire width thereof, means forthereafter pressing one of said adhesive areas across the width of thefilm against unactivated film to establish a second seal which forms apackaging envelope with an opening across a portion of the width at oneend thereof and which at the same time completely encloses the precedingpackaging envelope and means for filling the packaging envelope throughsaid opening.
 37. The apparatus specified in claim 36 which includesmeans for pulling at least two strips of film to advance them throughthe machine and in which said means for applying solvent activator isadapted to apply solvent activator to at least one strip of film in anarea along the length at both sides of at least one film strip and inwhich the means for establishing the first longitudinal seal is adaptedto press the adhesive area along both sides of the film against inactivefilm to establish a longitudinal seal at both sides of the packagingenvelope.
 38. A process for manufacturing packages of water-soluble filmin a machine of the type which includes an applicator for applyingsolvent activator to the film to make it adhesive which comprises Thesteps of: applying tension to a first strip of such film andsimultaneously applying tension to a second strip of such film to movesaid film strips through the machine, applying a controlled amount ofsolvent activator consisting of water and an additive to preselectedareas of at least one of said film strips to activate and tackify thesurface thereof before any part of the package is formed butinsufficient to reduce the strength of the film below that needed towithstand the said tension forces applied to the film, moving said firstand second strips of film into sealing alignment with each other by thecontinued application of tension solely to the said film strips,pressing a portion of said first and second strips of film together toform a seal between the two strips of film and a packaging envelope openat one end thereof, filling the package through the open end thereof,pressing a second portion of said film strips together to seal the openend of the package, and moving said package out of said machine by thecontinued application of tension solely to said film strips.
 39. Aprocess for manufacturing packages of water-soluble film in a machine ofthe type which includes an applicator for applying solvent activator tothe film to make it adhesive which comprises the steps of: applyingtension to a first strip of such film and simultaneously applyingtension to a second strip of such film to move said film strips throughthe machine, applying a controlled amount of solvent activator in theform of discrete droplets to preselected areas of at least one of saidfilm strips to activate and tackify the surface thereof before any partof the package is formed but insufficient to reduce the strength of thefilm below that needed to withstand the said tension forces applied tothe film, moving said first and second strips of film into sealingalignment with each other by the continued application of tension solelyto the said film strips, pressing a portion of said first and secondstrips of film together to form a seal between the two strips of filmand a packaging envelope open at one end thereof, filling the packagethrough the open end thereof, pressing a second portion of said filmstrips together to seal the open end of the package, and moving saidpackage out of said machine by the continued application of tensionsolely to said film strips.
 40. The process specified in claim 39further comprising the step of applying between 30 and 230 discretedroplets per linear inch to said preselected areas of said film.